KJ Winter Bulletin

CHANUKAH-PURIM ISSUE

KE H I LAT H JESH UR UN VOLUME LXXXVIII, NUMBER 2

BULLETIN

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

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KISLEV 8 5779

Before You is a Blessing and a Curse: Responding to Pittsburgh D E L IVE R E D O N S H A B BAT, N OVE M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 8 | BY RA B B I C H A I M S T E I N M E T Z

FOR THE PAST WEEK, THE FOLLOWING VERSE HAS KEPT APPEARING IN MY MIND:

“‫”ראֵ ה אָ נֹ כִ י נֹ תֵ ן לִ פְ נֵי ֶכ ם הַ ּיֹום ְּב ָר ָכ ה ּוקְ ָל ָל ה‬ ְ

“SEE, THIS DAY I SET BEFORE YOU BLESSING AND CURSE”

IN THI S I SSU E FROM THE RABBIS: RABBI STEINMETZ__________________ 1 RABBI WEINSTOCK_________________ 4 RABBI LANIADO____________________ 5 REPORT ON KJ’S SUMMER MISSION TO BUDAPEST AND VIENNA_________ 7 IN THE COMMUNITY________________ 1 0 UPCOMING EVENTS________________ 14 CLASSES__________________________ 16 THINGS TO KNOW__________________ 18 BNEI MITZVAH_____________________ 19 WITHIN OUR FAMILY_______________ 20 HOLIDAYS________________________ 23 WINTER SHABBAT CALENDAR______ 28

Moses offers the desert generation, (the first to enter Israel), two paths, one of blessing and one of curse. Their task is to make the right choice, and choose the path of blessing.

It’s a meaningful lesson, if the choice is yours. But what happens if you find yourself on the cursed path anyway?

What happens if the curses surround you, even though you didn’t choose them?

This past week was a cursed week.

On Saturday night I spoke to Rabbi Chuck Diamond, the former Rabbi of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Because the names were not yet public, he could only describe to me the people who were murdered. And when he started to describe Cecil and David Rosenthal, his voice started to crack.

These were two developmentally disabled men who, since childhood, had been brought by their grandfather to synagogue; and the synagogue was their home. They would greet all visitors and make everyone else feel at home in the synagogue as well.

And they were murdered while praying in their adopted home.

This is a curse.

Choosing the path of blessing is important; but how to navigate through the curses is even more important. Today, I’d like to share three lessons about the cursed path.

The first lesson is to recognize that a curse is a curse. Rabbi Jeremy Pappas overheard a young boy ask his mother in front of the Tree of Life synagogue: “Mommy, so this is where the people were killed just because they went to shul?” This murder was an act of anti-Semitism, and it should shock us as much as it shocks this child.

Anti-Semitism cannot be explained.

It has been around since the times of Haman, and it has persisted in multiple forms: religious, racial, political, from the right and the left, from the illiterate to the highly educated. It makes contradictory claims: that the Jews are exploitative capitalists and revolutionary communists, that Jews

2 continued, BEFORE YOU IS A BLESSING AND A CURSE: RESPONDING TO PITTSBURGH

love minorities too much and train police in methods of police brutality against minorities. The world’s longest hatred is an irrational fury looking for a convenient outlet; and that outlet is the Jews. So let’s call anti-Semitism what it is: a curse.

Why do I need to point this out?

Because it is easy to let discussions of anti-Semitism and racism be subordinated to politics, used as wedges or dismissed as polemics. That is precisely the wrong discussion to have. We first need to remember that hatred is a curse. Like so many things that go without saying but still need to be said, hatred against any group is wrong and despicable. Bigotry, racism, and xenophobia are dangerous, disgusting and immoral. Period.

Lisa said to me the other night that in a moment like this we need to be furious.

We cannot talk about anti-Semitism and bigotry as we do about anything else, because it is a monstrosity. The idealistic among us want us to heal; but that is not enough. We must howl in anger, and let everyone know we cannot tolerate hatred.

windows did so because they hate Jews; they hate me, they hate my wife, they hate my children and they hate my community. At the time, my kids were considerably younger, and I shuddered to think of what these perpetrators would do if they found one of my children alone in a dark alley. What would the stone throwers do as their next step? Tragically, we saw in Pittsburgh what happens when stone throwers take the next step.

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

so many other anti-Semitic attacks throughout European Jewish History.

From time to time someone tells me that they won’t travel on a mission to Poland because the “ground is drenched with Jewish blood.” However,

A curse is a curse is a curse, and we need to fight against this curse.

At the same time, there is another lesson: to look at the curse and appreciate our blessings. The Pittsburgh massacre shocks precisely because this is America.

I had a friend who was a Holocaust survivor who had one question for any rabbi he met: do you know what happened in Kielce? Most rabbis wouldn’t know, and so he would say, “I can’t learn from a rabbi who doesn’t know anything.”

The answer is that the Kielce Pogrom

AN INTERFAITH PRAYER VIGIL AT CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE FOLLOWING THE PITTSBURGH KILLINGS

by that standard, you can’t go anywhere in Europe. Are you traveling to England?

There was a massacre in York (New York’s namesake) on March 17, 1190 (Shabbat HaGadol), in which 150 Jews were trapped in a tower, murdered and burnt to death. France? The Crusades.

YOU DON’T NEED TO SAVE THE ENTIRE WORLD, YOU JUST NEED TO RESPOND.

Actually, we must take this lesson one step further. It is almost instinctual for Jews to dismiss everyday anti-Semitism as just an annoyance, something to be endured. But that is a mortal mistake, because anti-Semitism is a matter of life and death.

In Montreal, my previous synagogue had an anti-Semitic attack consisting of some broken windows and graffiti.

My initial reaction was to clean up the glass and forget it happened, but then I stopped to reflect for moment. The perpetrators who had broken these

took place in the city of Kielce, Poland on July 4, 1946, more than a year after the end of WWII. Polish soldiers, police officers, and civilians murdered 42 Jews after allegations that the Jews had kidnapped a child. (The child had actually gotten lost in the woods and already returned home).

Truth is, you can’t blame these rabbis for not knowing about the Kielce pogrom, because in terms of Jewish History it is an obscure event. Despite being far worse than Pittsburgh, the Kielce pogrom is forgotten because there were

Spain? The Inquisition. Poland and Ukraine? Cossack massacres. Russia?

Pogroms including the Kishinev pogrom of 1903, where 49 were killed. Germany?

Holocaust. There is no shortage of tragedy in European Jewish History.

But the US is different.

When considering the worst antiSemitic attack in American History, we must also reflect on what a remarkable country this has been for the Jews.

The United States is the first modern country Jews have been able to call home from the very beginning. In the

3 KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

first year of his presidency, George Washington wrote a letter to Touro Synagogue asserting that Jews would be fully accepted as equal citizens, and that “...the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens....”

“‫”מעט אור דוחה הרבה מן החושך‬ “A little bit of light pushes away a great deal of darkness.”

The unique culture of American democracy was called by the great rabbinic authority Rabbi Moshe Feinstein a ‫מלכות של חסד‬, “a government of kindness.” This kindness was greatly appreciated by people like my mother, a Holocaust survivor, who recognized upon landing on these shores that this would finally be a place she could call home. Even when we struggle with the cursed attack in Pittsburgh, we cannot forget that America is a blessing to be cherished.

In the last week, so many have brought a little bit of light into the world.

Colleagues at synagogues have been

There is a third lesson as well: how to navigate from the path of curse to the path of blessing. There are no good

EVEN WHEN WE STRUGGLE WITH THE CURSED ATTACK IN PITTSBURGH, WE CANNOT FORGET THAT AMERICA IS A BLESSING TO BE CHERISHED. explanations for why bad things happen to good people, and there never can be any explanation. Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik says that the only question to be asked is: How do I respond to tragedy? Our obligation in the face of a catastrophe is to act, to comfort and aid those who have suffered.

It is important to note that this response need not be heroic. You don’t need to save the entire world, you just need to respond. There is an insightful saying from the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement:

The meaning of this lesson is that even the smallest gestures have a big impact.

You don’t need to light a bonfire yourself to push away darkness, because even a small candle will help; and 100 candles together will do even more.

and better than ever.” A Ramaz alumnus studying in Pittsburgh, Effie Landau, wrote me about this Shabbat in Pittsburgh, the first since the murder: “ I’m looking forward to it - Chabad and Hillel finally are joining up and tons of Jews are popping up we never knew about and we’re expecting over 500 people at Shabbat dinner for students in Pittsburgh!”

At the memorial service, it was noted that one of the victims, Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, would regularly stand to say Kaddish in memory of those in his synagogue

A LITTLE BIT OF LIGHT PUSHES AWAY A GREAT DEAL OF DARKNESS.

getting flowers left on their front steps with notes of sympathy; I myself got an email from someone in Rangarajapuram, India who wrote: “It’s very sad to witness the innocent Jewish brethren are killed.

We pray never such thing happen in the future.” A colleague who was going to one of the funerals in Pittsburgh had a very tight plane connection; when the staff on the plane heard what he was doing, they radioed the connecting plane to wait so he could make it to the funeral. The Pittsburgh Gazette had a banner headline in Hebrew with the words of the Kaddish, and NBC Nightly News followed suit by ending the program with the words of the Kaddish, while photos of the victims were displayed on screen. It feels as if the entire United States is mourning with the Jewish community, and we are not alone.

In the Jewish community, there has been courage and compassion. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Synagogue told an interviewer that “we are Tree of Life, and as I said before to many, you can cut off some of the branches from our tree, but Tree of Life has been in Pittsburgh for 154 years. We’re not going anywhere and…..we will be back stronger

who had died without relatives to say Kaddish for them. When it came time to say Kaddish at the memorial, the entire audience got up to say Kaddish for Jerry Rabinowitz.

This is how one navigates from a curse to a blessing. We need to stand up with determination, kindness and unity. We need to light as many candles as we can, because the world can be a very dark place. And if we do so, we will find our way back to the road of blessing. <

eruv hotline FOR INFORMATION regarding the weekly status of the Manhattan Eruv call the ERUV HOTLINE 212-874-6100, ext. 3

For information on Manhattan Kosher Establishments visit

CKJ.org/Kosher_Restaurant_List

4 IT’S TIME FOR SOME RADICAL CONNECTING

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

It’s Time for Some Radical Connecting

BY RAB B I E L I E WE I N S TO C K

S

HULCHAN ARUCH (ORACH CHAIM 580) LISTS 19 DAYS ON THE JEWISH CALENDAR WHICH DESERVE TO BE FAST DAYS DUE TO THE TRAGIC EVENTS

WHICH OCCURRED ON THEM. DON’T WORRY. THE FINAL HALAKHIC DECISION WAS THAT THEY DIDN’T “MAKE THE CUT.” ONE OF THESE DAYS IS 9 ADAR, WHICH IS THE DAY ON WHICH BEIT HILLEL AND BEIT SHAMMAI DISAGREED.

You may be wondering, “So what else is new?” Isn’t the very nature of there being a Beit Hillel and a Beit Shammai is so that they can disagree?!?

The commentaries explain that this specific debate turned ugly and possibly violent. For the Torah to be the source of such harsh disagreement is worthy to be commemorated by a fast day.

It is one thing to disagree, but when the disagreements become so angry and the language so harsh, we need to take corrective action. It was decided a fast day was not the way to go, but it was considered and the very idea included in our Jewish legal literature.

Ba-yamim ha-heim ba-z’man ha-zeh – Just as we experienced then, we experience the same today…

We are all too aware of the fact that people don’t always agree. We embrace the concept of machloket l’sheim shamayim – legitimate dispute for the sake of heaven. We can – and should – have differing views over issues for which we feel strongly. At the same time, the tone and tenor seems to have reached new heights. Is there some way to find a common ground and not make the historic mistake of letting our disputes get the better of us?

Yes. It’s called connecting.

David Brooks recently noted in an Op-Ed (New York Times, 10/29/18) that every recent violent or hateful act has had a common denominator: There’s always one guy, who fell through the cracks of society, who lived a life of solitary disappointment and who one day decided to try to make a blood-drenched leap from

I just read the following lines in a JTA analysis of the mid-term elections:

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE LIGHT AND

CONNECT. CONNECT WITH FAMILY. CONNECT WITH THE

OUTSIDE. CONNECT WITH NEIGHBORS.

Do American Jews agree on anything anymore?

Disunity persists even in tragedy (after the murder of 11 Jews in Pittsburgh).

insignificance to infamy.

Brooks goes on to describe the growing rates of depression and suicide we see in society as being connected with

A COMMUNITY BRINGS LIGHT TO DARKNESS

protracted loneliness, loss of meaning, and feeling pressured and stressed in the absence of community and a breakdown in the network of relationships and connections that people usually rely upon to remain anchored.

The solution is to double down on connecting people. Brooks writes: The good news is that most of us are part of the solution as well. Most of us admire and want to be the teacher who reaches out to the lonely boy. Most of us mentor and serve people unlike ourselves.

Each of us has the capacity to reach beyond ourselves to connect with others in a nurturing, positive way.

Organizations are getting this message.

I received an email from someone in a Jewish organization who is the “Chief Relationship Officer.” (Can you guess

5 continued, IT’S

TIME FOR SOME RADICAL CONNECTING

what he does?) The Union for Reform Judaism has a Vice President of Audacious Hospitality. I am not exactly sure what the position does – even after reading the online description, but it does sound welcoming!

I consider myself a Radical Connector. I want to connect Jews – and all people.

I don’t want to convince anyone that I am right, and they are wrong. Radical connecting isn’t even necessarily about an “exchange of views.” We need to strengthen the bonds of civility and ordinary collegiality. To say hello to the person we don’t recognize. To ask those we do recognize “What’s new?” or “Tell me about your week.” If we want to strengthen our community and beyond, we need to start with proactively strengthening our connections with each other.

The colder, darker months of the winter contain two holidays which are terrific

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connecting opportunities: Chanukah and Purim.

by reaching out to those in need – the most important mitzvah of the day.

Chanukah is all about pirsumei nisa, sharing the light. In fact, one really has no reason to light if nobody else will see it. We have the opportunity to share the light and connect. Connect with family. Connect with the outside.

Connect with neighbors. One of the highlights of our family Chanukah is to invite all the neighbors on our floor and Jews throughout the building (we look for mezuzahs) to join us for one night of Chanukah. Chanukah makes it so easy to connect.

At times, we encounter the fact that we live in a dark, lonely, divided world.

It does not take much to add light, friendship, and community.

Purim also is about connection. Each of the holiday’s observances pushes us towards engaging others. We read the Megillah, ideally, in public. Our Purim Seudah is meant to be a shared meal with family and friends. We give gifts of food to friends to deepen our relationships.

We look beyond those nearest to us

We don’t need a fast day. We just need to radically connect. <

THREE MODERN MIKVeHS ARE LOCATED IN OUR COMMUNITY AT:

419 EAST 77TH STREET (between First and York Avenues) Telephone: 212-359-2020 5 EAST 62ND STREET (just off Fifth Avenue) Telephone: 212-753-6058 234 WEST 74TH STREET (between Broadway & West End Ave) Telephone: 212-579-2011

THE PURPOSE OF THE MAKKOT

BY RAB B I M E YE R L A N I A D O

W

HAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE PLAGUES? WERE THEY MEANT TO PUNISH EGYPT, EDUCATE OR FACILITATE OUR REDEMPTION

FROM THE EGYPTIANS? THE ANSWER IS THAT THEY SERVED ALL THESE PURPOSES. THE FIRST NINE WERE OTOT UMOFTIM, SIGNS, AND WONDERS. THEIR GOAL WAS TO TEACH THREE LESSONS IN PROGRESSION [1]. THE TENTH, MAKKAT BEKHOROT, HAD A DUAL PURPOSE. IT WAS MEANT TO PUNISH, AS WELL AS FORCE THE EGYPTIANS TO SEND US OUT. IT IS WHAT THE TORAH REFERS TO AS THE SHEFATIM, JUDGMENTS [SEFORNO SHEMOT 4:23].

The nine makkot progress from lesson to lesson in sets of three, with each of these lessons a response to a statement of Pharaoh [2]. The first lesson, that of Dam [Blood], Sefardea [Frogs], and Kinim [Biting Insects], was to teach about the existence of a single creator of the world. This concept is introduced with bezot teda ki ani Hashem, with this you shall know that I am God [Shemot 7:17]. This was in direct response to Pharaoh’s statement: lo yadati et Hashem, I do not know God. God, The Creator, is the cause of all that we experience as nature. The only reason that this world functions as it does is because God is causing it.

There is no ‘nature’ besides for His will. It is God that allows for existence, it is He that is the cause of all that we experience as ‘nature.’ If He did not cause the world to function as it does, it would not function separately from Him. It is God that constantly ensures that our world runs properly [3].

6 continued, THE

PURPOSE OF THE MAKKOT

The second set, Arob [swarms], Deber [epidemic], and Shehin [boils] teaches about God’s hashgaha, divine providence, his precise control over “nature.” This is introduced with the phrase: lema’an teda ki ani Hashem beqereb ha’ares, so that you will know that I am God in the midst of the Earth. The lesson is that God has precise control over each and every aspect of this world. He can create phenomena that only affect a part of the population, and thereby shows He has very precise control over the world.

Note that in the following makkot only the Egyptians were affected: Arob 8:18-19, Deber 9:4, Shehin 9:10. How incredible for a plague to differentiate between groups of people with no way to differentiate based on biology. How

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

This expresses the unique power of God. Not only is God The Creator, and involved in the details of this world, He is also the greatest power, and there is nothing even comparable to him. He is The master of the universe, and there is nothing that could restrict His will [5].

These three lessons, that God is the Creator of the world, that He is involved in the world, and that He is the ultimate power, with nothing comparable to Him, are the fundamental ideas of Judaism. These are the ideas taught to us at the start of our nation that we must educate ourselves, and pass on to the next generation. It is a misva from the Torah to relate these messages to our children during our Pesah seder, as

THERE IS NO ‘NATURE’ BESIDES FOR HIS WILL. would a swarm, epidemic or boils know which person was part of Benei Yisrael and who was Egyptian? The message is clear; God is involved in the land, beqereb ha’ares [4].

The third set, Barad [hail], Arbe [locust], and Hoshekh [darkness] educate us about God’s unique power and is introduced by the phrase: ba’abur teda, ki ein kamoni bekhol ha’ares, so that you will know that I am God in the midst of the Earth. This is in response to Pharaoh’s statement: mi Hashem asher eshma beqolo, who is this God that I should listen to his request. Pharaoh was making the point that even if there was a God of Benei Yisrael, He was not a power that needed to be paid attention to. The response by God directly addresses Pharaoh’s statement with plagues that have never before been seen in Egypt [Shemot 10:7]. Note that by both barad, and Arbe the Torah states: asher lo haya khamohu that there was never anything like this, emphasizing that nothing like this has ever been seen in Egypt [Shemot 9:17, 9:24, 10:7, 10:14].

Rambam states: misvat ase shel Torah lesaper benissim veniflaot shena’asu la’aboteinu bemisrayim, it is a misva to recount the miracles and wonders that God did for us and for our forefathers in Egypt [Mishne Torah Hilkhot Hames uMassa 7:1]. The misva is not just to relate the miracle itself, but to relate the messages, the fundamentals of Judaism.

Moadim leSimha, Rabbi Meyer Laniado

[1] Note ‫רבי יהודה היה נותן בהם סימן‬ ‫דצ”ך עד”ש באח”ב‬also see Rashbam Shemot 7:26 and Ramban: ‫בעבור כי‬ ‫הקדוש ברוך הוא לא יעשה אות ומופת בכל‬ ‫ יצוה אותנו‬,‫דור לעיני כל רשע או כופר‬ ,‫שנעשה תמיד זכרון ואות לאשר ראו עינינו‬ ,‫ ובניהם לבניהם‬,‫ונעתיק הדבר אל בנינו‬ ‫ובניהם לדור אחרון‬.

[2] Rabbenu Bahye: ‫והזכיר משה‬ ‫כן לפרעה לפי שהיה פרעה כופר בשלשתן‬ ‫ ויכלתו‬,‫ והשגחתו‬,‫במציאותו‬

[3] Abarbanel: ‫ופרעה כחש לו מפני‬ ‫שהיה חושב שאלוה העולם הוא הטבע‬ ‫ושהגרם השמימיים הוא היה מנהיג הטבע‬ ‫ השיב‬,’‫השפל ולכן כשאמר משה כה אמר ה‬ ‫פרעה “לא ידעתי את ה’” כלומר איני מודה‬ ‫במציאותו‬ Ramban: ‫ויעשה עמהם מופת בשנוי מנהגו‬ ‫לוה מחדשו‬-‫יש לעולם א‬...‫של עולם וטבעו‬.

Ritba: ‫לאמת המציות‬. Rabbenu Bahye ‫מציאות הש”י‬.

[4] Ramban: ‫כי לא עזב אותה למקרים‬ ‫כדעתם‬. Ritba: ‫לאמת ההשגחה‬. Rabbenu Bahye: ‫כמלך בתוך המדינה להיותו קרוב‬ ‫אל הקצוות‬. Abarbanel: ‫משגיח על כל‬ ‫ דרכי בני האדם לתת לאיש כדרכיו‬and ‫ “ ’ופרעה כחש זה במאמרו “מי ה‬Malbim: ‫שה’ משגיח גם בארץ‬ [5] Ramban: ‫ אין מעכב‬,‫שהוא שליט בכל‬ ‫בידו‬. <

Sponsorships Are Welcome To support synagogue programs, we invite prospective Kiddush & Seudah Shlishit Sponsors to contact Riva Alper in the synagogue office at 212-774-5670 or RIVA@CKJ. ORG. The base cost of a cakeand-wine Kiddush sponsorship is $500, to which is added the cost of any extra catered food ordered through Foremost Caterers.

Multiple Kiddush sponsors may, at their discretion and initiative, agree to share the expense of extra catered food, but every co-sponsor must pay, separately and individually, the $500 base fee.

Similarly, sponsoring Seudah Shlishit costs every co-sponsor $250.

7 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE KJ SUMMER 2018 MISSION

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

Highlights of the KJ Summer 2018 Mission - vienna R E P O RT E D BY N O R E E N WAC H S

T

HIS PAST AUGUST I PARTICIPATED IN THE KJ MISSION TO AUSTRIA AND BUDAPEST. OURS WAS A CONVIVIAL GROUP

ABLY LED BY LISA AND RABBI CHAIM STEINMETZ AND DR. DAVID

STADTTEMPEL SYNAGOGUE

We visited places of general and Jewish interest and learned a great deal about Austria’s capital city, Vienna, famous for its musicians Mozart and Beethoven, and its intellectuals such as Sigmund Freud, and its long Jewish history.

Jews first settled in Vienna in the 12th century. It became a leading Jewish German community over time with famous rabbis such as Isaac Ben Moses, (1200-1270) who was known as the “Or Zarua” after the halakhic sefer he wrote that was very popular with Ashkenazic Jewry. At the close of the 18th century, Vienna became a center of the Haskalah movement. Before the Holocaust, there were 19 large synagogues and 63 smaller synagogues in Vienna. The Jewish population at that time was 166,000.

Many were able to emigrate before the Nazis took over, but 50,912 were deported to ghettos and concentration camps.

Only 1,747 Jews returned to Vienna after World War II ended. In the post-war period, Austrians claimed to be victims of the Nazis, but recently they have started to accept their complicity in Nazi rule.

Today, there are 8,000 Jews in Vienna and they are a very tight-knit and well organized group. Jews living there today are native Austrians, Israelis, Russians, Georgians and Bukharians.

There are seven kosher restaurants in Vienna, an amazing number for such a

BERNSTEIN, OUR RESIDENT HISTORIAN. IN VIENNA WE WERE JOINED BY A KNOWLEDGEABLE LOCAL JEWISH GUIDE. small community.

We went on a fascinating walking tour of the Jewish areas concentrated in the Leopoldstadt, the Second Municipal District of Vienna. We saw the house where Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, grew up, and the homes of Victor Frankl and Freud. On many buildings or sidewalks, we passed Stolpersteins, bronze plaques

THREE STOLPERSTEINS, THE BRONZE PLAQUES FOUND ON THE SIDEWALKS IN VIENNA, COMMEMORATING PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN THE ADJOINING BUILDINGS AND DIED IN THE SHOAH

commemorating the deaths of Viennese Jews placed on or near the building where they used to reside. We visited the Stadttempel Synagogue, the only synagogue to survive the war. This orthodox synagogue was constructed from 1824-26 and, decorated in an elegant Biedermeier style. It fit into a block of houses hidden from the

street because at the time that it was built Jewish houses of worship could not face the street. This is what saved the synagogue from destruction in November 1938 during Kirstallnacht.

Nazi marauders did not set fire to the Stadttempel since the building could not be destroyed without damaging the buildings that surrounded it.

We drove around the Ringstrasse, considered one of the most beautiful boulevards in the world and home to the Imperial Palace, the Natural History Museum, The Vienna State Opera and the Parliament building. Forty-five percent of the beautiful homes on the Ringstrassse were owned by Jews before World War II. Rabbi Steinmetz arranged for us to meet and hear several leading Jews in Austria today. We met with a representative of the Israeli consulate who explained the relationship between the government of Austria and Israel. We also heard Martin Engelberg, a Jewish member of the Austrian parliament, who explained the delicate balance in local politics because of the rise of right wing parties in Austria. We visited the Jewish Museum in Vienna where we were welcomed by Danielle Spera, the wife of Mr. Engelberg.

Many of us attended a concert in this city famous for its opera and classical

8 continued, HIGHLIGHTS

OF THE KJ SUMMER 2018 MISSION

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

music. We ended our tour of Vienna at the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburg kings and queens, where we were guided through 50 rooms out of 1441 in the Palace. The beauty of the gardens and the luxuriousness of the palace were amazing to behold. The entire trip to Vienna and Budapest was stimulating, fun and meaningful, and I felt very fortunate to have participated. < A ROOM IN THE SCHONBRUNN PALACE WITH PORTRAITS OF EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEPH AND HIS WIFE, ELISABETH

Highlights of the KJ Summer 2018 Mission - Budapest R E P O RT E D BY D R . R O B E R T AL L E N

M

Y FAMILY AND I PARTICIPATED IN RABBI STEINMETZ’S AUGUST EDUCATIONAL MISSION TO BUDAPEST AND VIENNA,

TWO CITIES WHOSE INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL OUTPUT CONTINUE TO EXERT A PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON THE JEWISH WORLD. BETWEEN HIS RABBINIC ERUDITION, AND

OUR GROUP IN BUDAPEST

brought to bear, it was an inspiring opportunity to encounter the pre-World War II Jewish world that was, alongside the modern Jewish world that is. The friendships that we made with fellow participants were endearing, and we returned home invigorated and uplifted despite the intense touring schedule.

Our Mission started appropriately enough with a trip to Bratislava to visit the grave of the Chatam Sofer, a leading Orthodox rabbi of the first half of the 19th century. The sprawling cemetery had been in existence since the 1600s, but the Slovak state destroyed almost all of it during the war years, leaving intact only 23 graves of rabbis, including the Chatam Sofer’s grave.

Our trip was not entirely focused on Jewish sites, as we toured Heroes

THE ENCYCLOPEDIC KNOWLEDGE OF EUROPEAN JEWISH HISTORY THAT OUR TOUR HISTORIAN, DR. DAVID BERNSTEIN, Square, the Palace of Art, and the Museum of Fine Art. A trip to Szentendre (a/k/a the Artist Colony) offered ‘So-Ho’ like ambience complete with narrow streets, cafes as far as the eye could see, and vendors selling souvenirs and art. Tucked away in that charming area is the Szanto Synagogue which houses a small museum of Jewish artifacts, photos, and most memorably, a memorial plaque on a courtyard wall remembering the Jews from Szentendre who were rounded up in July 1944 by the Nazis, never to return. The inscription on the top is the Hungarian version of the Sixth Commandment: Don’t kill.

As generations of Anti-Semites have discovered, it is impossible to erase the Jew. For example, the Obuda synagogue (the oldest synagogue in Budapest) has experienced highs and

lows over the course of its 280 years.

During the 1970s, the diminished Jewish community sold the building for use as a television studio, but it was reinaugurated

by Lubavitch as a synagogue in Elul 2010.

Chabad established a now bustling school there, which we were privileged to behold. Elsewhere, we visited a long-dormant 14th century synagogue

MEMORIAL PLAQUE OUTSIDE THE SZANTO SYNAGOGUE

9 continued, HIGHLIGHTS

OF THE KJ SUMMER 2018 MISSION

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that was just rededicated and is in use today after more than 300 years of yearning for the voices of Jews at prayer. Am Yisrael chai!

We will never forget his pain, his fear, and his iron will to survive.

The blur of sites and attractions on any Educational Mission can be overwhelming, but with the expert historical context provided by David Bernstein, and the inspiring religious framing offered

by Rabbi Steinmetz, we were buoyed by the experience. In the span of one week, we learned about all of the major topics in Modern Jewish History, including Zionism, Reform Judaism, Ultra-Orthodoxy, Emancipation, Anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust.

It truly challenged our intellect and touched our soul. <

A highlight of our Mission was visiting the Great (or Dohany Street) Synagogue, a Moorish building with a 3,000-seat capacity, the second largest shul in the world. Still used as a synagogue today, they maintain separate seating and a traditional prayer book, but there is a choir and an organist each Shabbat.

Interestingly, their By-Laws forbid the organist to be a Jew! It is impossible to experience Jewish Hungary today without acknowledging the horrors of 1944-45. Our tour of The Terror Museum was conducted by a young Hungarian Christian who was surprisingly knowledgeable about Jews and the Holocaust. When asked why she chose this job, she responded that throughout her schooling she felt that something was missing from the history she was being taught. When

FOUR GENERATIONS OF THE ALLEN FAMILY AT THE BUDAPEST GRAVE OF BOB ALLEN’S GRANDPARENTS (BOB IS FAR LEFT, ALONGSIDE HIS FATHER, LOUIS ALLEN)

she found out what is was (Shoah), she pledged to dedicate her vocation to educating others. How appropriate, then, that our next experience was the shoe memorial located on the shores of the Danube; A commemoration of Jews who were lined up and shot by the fascist Arrow Cross, and the plucky

ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER DANUBE: REMEMBERING LIVES LOST

LEARN TO DAVEN LIKE A BA’AL TEFILLAH

few who survived by jumping into the ice strewn river after abandoning their shoes on the shore.

Our Shabbat spirits were lifted by impromptu recollections at dinner and lunch by fellow Missionaire Louis Allen, a Holocaust survivor who was born in Budapest and who recounted in detail his personal saga being part of the roundup of Jews who were held in the Dohany Street synagogue and sent out to work for the fascists each day. Going to the docks was not unusual, as there was often work to load and unload ship cargo. His decision to jump and save himself was a split-second one undertaken after he and others presciently observed that the soldiers guarding them that day were different from before and had noticeably more firearms than previously. Although grazed by a bullet during his escape, Louis was able to swim to safety, hiding underneath a nearby bridge. He stayed in aquatic hiding until after midnight and somehow made it back to his apartment building and from there to freedom. And there was Louis, standing before us as a spry nonagenarian, telling us in first-person narrative what it was like 75 years ago.

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein’s 10 Nusach recordings, designed to help people learn how to be a shaliach tzibbur at daily services, Shabbatot, holidays, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and selichot around the year, are available free of charge on the Ramaz website at RAMAZ.ORG/NUSACH THERE IS NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW TO AVAIL YOURSELF OF THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY!

TO JOIN THE KJ ONLINE COMMUNITY, VISIT KJ’S WEBSITE WWW.CKJ.ORG AND CLICK ON THE WORDS JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

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IN THE COMMUNITY

lulav tying

noahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ark Thanks to the generosity of Nicole and Tuvy Meyers, and coordinated by KJ Youth Director Aryana Ritholtz, the KJ community enjoyed a visit from Noah and his ark in honor of Parashat Noach.

Touro Law Center Program Sheds Light on Jewish, Israeli and American Law Comparative Jurisprudence

BY L EO FOX

RA B B I M E YE R L AN IAD O D E M O N S T RAT E S T H E I N T R I CAC I E S O F L U L AV AS S E M B LY AT A C L AS S O N E R E V S U K KOT.

KJ Synagogue Membership Be a Part of the Jewish People CONTACT KJ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LEONARD SILVERMAN AT 212-774-5680 OR LSS@CKJ.ORG

The symposium that was held at KJ on October 9 presented a challenging, entertaining and illustrative examination of the differences and similarities of the American and Israeli judicial systems. Michael Mukasey, former United States District Judge and (L. TO R. JUSTICE ELYAKIM RUBINSTEIN (RET.), TOURO LAW SCHOOL DEAN HARRY BALLAN, United States Attorney General, presented MODERATOR, JUDGE MICHAEL MUKASEY clear and analytic differences in the two judicial systems, while Elyakim Rubinstein, a former member of the Israeli Supreme Court, offered a unique Israeli perspective bringing in humorous anecdotes regarding Israeli political and legal personalities. Observers were left with the impression of a strong and activist Israeli Court participating in the legislative process unlike the case in the United States where the Court appears to be more in the nature of an umpire resolving disputes between parties. Both systems, however, did not favor the establishment of international courts to adjudicate internal matters.

This was a worthwhile evening not only for lawyers and legal scholars but also for knowledgeable laymen familiar with the personalities, which represent most of the KJ community.

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IN THE COMMUNITY

Wall of Appreciation

D

URING THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 4-10, THE KJ/ RAMAZ FAMILY OBSERVED GUARD APPRECIATION

WEEK AND TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR DEDICATED SECURITY STAFF, WHO DESPITE CONSTANT CHALLENGES AND PRESSURES, PROVIDE OUR COMMUNITY WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL LEVEL OF SECURITY. DEEPLY PROFESSIONAL, THEY STAND AT THE DOOR EACH AND EVERY DAY TO PROTECT US AND OUR CHILDREN, AND PUT THEMSELVES AT RISK TO MAKE SURE WE ARE SAFE.

Men’s Club MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE TWO TERRIFIC UPCOMING EVENTS ON DECEMBER 8:

Kiddush Discussion featuring Bronx Borough

President Ruben Diaz Jr. who, since taking office in 2009, has implemented a robust agenda—on economic development, housing, health and wellness, education, and public safety—in every corner of the borough. He has overseen $15.4 billion in new development of all kinds including more than 36,000 new units of housing, the creation of thousands of jobs, and many new infrastructure improvements including the East Bronx Metro North expansion.

Borough President Diaz has provided tens of millions of dollars in funding to projects of all types in every Bronx neighborhood, including new technology upgrades to borough schools, green roofs and boiler upgrades, park improvements and more. Following Shabbat morning services and a hot Congregational Kiddush.

Am haSefer Book Review and Supper Lecture

presenting Dr. Elizabeth MacaulayLewis who will introduce her book, Bayt Farhi and the Sephardic Palace of Ottoman Damascus in the late 18th and 19th Centuries. Bayt Farhi was one of the largest and most important palatial houses of late 18th- and early 19thcentury Damascus. This illustrated lecture examines Bayt Farhi’s outstanding architecture and decoration alongside Damascus’s other prominent mansions.

Dr. Macaulay-Lewis is the editor or author of five books and the author of over a dozen articles on ancient Roman and Islamic gardens and architecture. Trained as a garden archaeologist and architectural historian, she has excavated or served as a specialist on excavations in Italy, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. 7:30 PM in the Heyman Auditorium.

12 IN THE COMMUNITY

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IN THE COMMUNITY continued, MEN’S

CLUB

A special talk and reading about Amalek and Purim will be

presented by KJ member Sandra E. Rapoport, an attorney, Bible Teacher and award-winning author. Join us on February 24 to hear an exciting talk based on her recently-released book The Queen and The Spymaster (Ktav), an historical novel based on the story of Esther.

Sandra appeared at KJ on November 8 for a reading and book signing, sponsored by KJ Sisterhood, Kesher and Ramaz Parents Council. Rapt attention was given to Sandra as she filled in the gaps of the story of Vashti, thereby whetting the reading appetites of all those in the audience who had not yet read the book.

The KJ MEN’S CLUB, chaired by Dr. Mark Meirowitz, offers something for everyone in KJ and the broader Jewish community. Most recently we welcomed Congressman Adriano Espaillat, D-NY 13th District to a Kiddush Discussion.

Click on this link www.ckj.org/mens_club for more information about upcoming Men’s Club programming.

The UJA@KJ Partnership UJA@KJ is a partnership between KJ and UJA-Federation of New York that aims to make a difference in our community through meaningful programs and volunteer opportunities. Through UJA@KJ, KJ members participate in unique speaker events, exclusive briefings, special Shabbat programs, and volunteer projects and site visits to UJA’s agencies.

We hope you’ll join us this year at all our programs. We are delighted to announce that KJ member Jay P. Lefkowitz will be honored at our Lawyer’s Division Annual Event at the Pierre Hotel on FEBRUARY 12.

connect:

CKJ.ORG/UJAKJ

For more information about these or any other events, or to get involved with UJA@KJ, please contact UJA@KJ chairs SOPHIA GOMBERG OR SAMANTHA RUBENSTEIN or UJA@KJ staff person REBECCA ZIMILOVER at ZIMILOVERR@UJAFEDNY.ORG or 212.836.1356.

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IN THE COMMUNITY

WELCOME TO KJ SISTERHOOD

K

J SISTERHOOD IS A GROUP OF WOMEN ACROSS MULTI-GENERATIONS WHO ASPIRE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND ENRICH THE KJ COMMUNITY. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SISTERHOOD PROGRAMS INCLUDE: JEWISH STUDY, HEALTH & WELLNESS, THE ARTS, CHESED AND HOSPITALITY.

SISTERHOOD NEWS

The Sisterhood Board of Directors welcomes three new members to their Executive Board. Sharon Garfunkel and Roberta Stetson have been named Co-Vice Presidents and Marylène Friedman will assume the role of Secretary.

MEET OUR NEW LEADERS: SHARON GARFUNKEL has been an active member of the KJ Beginner/ Intermediate Service for over 20 years.

Sharon met her husband, Asher Levitsky, at KJ. Professionally, Sharon has worked in retail as a retailer, accessory and jewelry buyer, and fashion rep and currently works at Fox’s. Sharon is already using her sales and fashion acumen to help with many Sisterhood chesed projects.

MARYLÈNE FRIEDMAN joined KJ with her husband, Alan, when they were married at KJ 36 years ago. Marylène is the mother of two sons, Marc and David Aaron, and the grandmother of three: Racheli, Na’Ama and Levi. Marylène is a doer and through her participation in many facets of KJ she has found tremendous enjoyment. Some of these activities have included coordinating local Shiva homes and meals, ushering for the High Holidays in the Main Synagogue and volunteering as a maître d’ for the catered Sukkah meals.

welcome Kehilath Jeshurun warmly welcomes the following new members who have joined the Congregation between the printing of the last Bulletin, August 18, and this Bulletin, which went to press on November 20:

ROBERTA STETSON and her husband, Curt, have been members of KJ for thirteen years. From the beginning, Roberta was dedicated to bringing a welcome atmosphere to KJ. Roberta attends classes at KJ almost every night of the week, and her thirst for learning Torah is inspirational.

For years she has coordinated delivery of a welcome package to new members of KJ and is a volunteer Shabbat greeter. A former teacher, Roberta enjoys engaging with -- and hosting for Shabbat and holiday meals – KJB MInyan attendees and helping them feel at home at KJ.

• • • • •

LOOKING FORWARD:

•

•THE JEWISH MUSEUM November 19th, Private Tour & Brunch.

• •

•SOTHEBY’S TOUR A yearly favorite! Date to be announced.

•

•CHALLAH & L’CHAIM Annual Challah Bake & Wellness talk.

•ANNUAL SPRING LUNCHEON

GET INVOLVED

We would love to have your participation.

Please consider co-chairing an event, or volunteering for a chesed activity, or to support our community.

CONTACT US at SISTERHOOD@CKJ.ORG if you would like more information on how to get involved and about upcoming events.

• • • • • •

SHIRA & JOSHUA ARCUS LARRY CHAITYN FRANCES & BOBBY COHEN DAVID & JESSICA FELDAN AMANDA WILDMAN & DANIEL FISHMAN PAULETTE GOLDBERG JULIA & RAPHAEL HARAMATI DOROTHY & DANIEL KATZ JENIFER & DAVID KELLMAN TALIA & MEYER LANIADO CHELA & MAXIMILLIAN LINDENFELD LAUREN BOCHNER & JORDAN SHEFF KEREN & MICHAEL SHVO MARIANNA & SAMUEL WEINER LANNA & DAVID WEISFELD

DEDICATE Members of the Congregation and others are invited to honor a friend or relative, celebrate a milestone event, or memorialize a loved one by dedicating Chumashim ($75 each) or Siddurim ($50 each) CALL RIVA ALPER AT 212-774-5670 FOR MORE INFORMATION

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UPCOMING EVENTS

l’hitraot to chazan mayer davis!

T

WO OPPORTUNITIES TO BID L’HITRAOT TO CHAZAN MAYER DAVIS: ON SATURDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 1, EREV CHANUKAH, WE WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TOAST CHAZAN

MAYER DAVIS AT THE KJ DINNER TO BE HELD IN THE RAMAZ UPPER SCHOOL. THEN, ON THE FOLLOWING SHABBAT, DECEMBER 7/8, SHABBAT CHANUKAH, WE WILL CELEBRATE MAYER DAVIS BY HIS LEADING OUR DAVENING (WITH THE SHUL TONES) FOR HIS LAST FORMAL SHABBAT AT KJ. BOTH OCCASIONS WILL BE VERY EMOTIONAL FOR HIM AND FOR US.

Mayer Davis began his cantorial career at the age of seventeen, approximately fifty years ago, when his father, Cantor Avrum Davis, sent him for his first Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur cantorial responsibility. He has always been a protégé of his father who was not only his role model but also his greatest supporter. When he davens before the Amud he feels his father at his side.

Mayer has been a baal tefila, a chazzan and a shaliah tzibur for half a century, much of which was spent here at KJ where he succeeded his father in our cantorate in 1990.

His father is remembered as the transition from the old style cantor to a new style baal tefila. Mayer Davis combines both roles in his beautiful renditions of the tefillot. He has never been a singer per se, but rather a davener with a beautiful voice who draws in the congregation to participate in heartfelt tefila. We have been blessed to be the beneficiaries of his exceptional talent and dedication for nearly thirty years and to celebrate with him and Rochelle the many happy milestones in their life and in the lives of their children, Donny, Mikey and Elisheva.

In our twin farewell celebrations we will not be saying goodbye but rather l’hitra’ot – we hope to see you and Rochelle again very soon!

Community Together Shabbat Dinner - january 11, 2019 Join KJ for a special Community Together Shabbat Dinner of Unity, featuring the cuisine of both Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities.

Samuel S. Silverstein Shabbat and Community Together Dinner JANUARY 11 featuring Y-Studs A-Capella following 4:45 PM Mincha and a spirited Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat with the Y-Studs Y-STUDS A Cappella is an all-male a cappella group that brings a unique and fresh style of music to the Jewish world.

Since its founding in 2010, the group has performed for audiences all over the nation and across the globe. Y-Studs A Capella is renowned for its members’ youthful energy, bright harmonies, and genuine connection with their audiences, yielding a meaningful and unforgettable performance, every time.

The Y-Studs will participate in Shabbat morning services, sing throughout Seudah Shlishit, and perform at a musical havdalah!

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UPCOMING EVENTS JANUARY 26, 2019

MARCH 1, 2019

KJ/Ramaz Ice Skating Event

SHABBAT ACROSS AMERICA

S K AT E ! S I N G ! S NAC K !

HELP US MAKE HISTORY ON MARCH 1ST! Be a part of the largest Shabbat celebration in North America Stay tuned for more details here! CKJ.ORG/SAA

Saturday, January 26 7:30 - 9:30 PM at Central Park’s Wollman Rink 59th Street and Central Park South

FEBRUARY 22-23, 2019

WI L L YO U B E T H E 1 , 00 1 S T ?

MARCH 16, 2019

Eyal

20th ANNUAL VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION EVENT S P EC I A L S E U DA H S H L I S H I T

Come discover how they bring happiness and joy to so many.

March 16th - Following 6:35 PM Mincha This event is held in conjuction with Moshe Rabbeinu’s yahrzeit (Adar 7)

AIPAC POLICY CONFERENCE

February 22-23 Join the Ramaz Upper School and KJ and give of yourself by reaching out to the special members of Yachad.

HONORING MEMBERS OF: Chevra Kadisha, Bikur Cholim, Hatzolah, Congregational Chesed Volunteers

MARCH 24-26, 2019

Yachad Shabbaton

KJ Hebrew teacher Sara Rosen has released a new iPad app based on her popular Hebrew reading program. The app is called Eyal and is suitable for all ages. Eyal is perfect for those with no prior reading experience and those with some experience who are still searching for fluency. All work can be self-checked so no teacher is required.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, search for Eyal in the iPad App Store.

See What’s Up With KJYD! Musical Havdalah and Ice Cream Party with Morah Chaya January 5 - 6:00 PM Shabbat Morning Tefilah Together January 5, 26 February 23; March 16 9:30 am for Grades 3-7 Saturday Night Spectacular (Grades 3-6) March 1 BARNES AND NOBLE Purim Story Time Sunday, March 10 - 10:30 AM Purim Carnival Thursday, March 21 - 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

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CLASSES

SUNDAY DR. WILLIAM MAJOR MEMORIAL ADVANCED SHIUR IN TALMUD Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder Masekhet Avodah Zarah class with its classical commentaries Sunday mornings following 8:30 AM services and breakfast SAVE THE DATE: Rabbi Wieder will be our Guest Scholar Thanksgiving Shabbat NOVEMBER 23-24

POST BAR MITZVAH SUNDAY MINYAN AND BREAKFAST CLASS Corey Horowitz Boys in grades seven through nine are invited to join Corey Horowitz from 9:15 - 10:45 AM for minyan, a Torah class, and breakfast.

MONDAY EXPLORING JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz 8:30 AM - (for women only)

JEWISH LEARNING INSTITUTE (JLI) CRIME AND CONSEQUENCE Rabbi Elie Weinstock 6 Mondays beginning FEBRUARY 4 - 7:00 PM

tuesday PARSHA FOUNDATIONS Rabbi Elie Weinstock 8:15 AM

TUESDAY NIGHT TORAH WITH RABBI YOSSI WEISER Explore Jewish Letters through the Ages from the Maccabees, Bar Kohba, Rav Sherira Gaon, Maimonides and more followed by Insights into the Weekly Parsha.

Rabbi Yossi Weiser 6:30-8:00 PM

GOD, THE WORLD, AND ME: AN EXPLORATION OF MAIMONIDES’ BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE Rabbi Meyer Laniado 7:00 PM

RAMBAN AL HA-TORAH: THE COMMENTARY OF NACHMANIDES A class dedicated to the classic explanation of Nachmanides on the Torah Martin Kaufman 8:00 PM

wednesday WOMEN’S PARSHAT HASHAVUA Rabbi Haskel Lookstein 8:30 AM

CO N N EC T : C K J. O RG/ E N R I C H T H E S O U L

YIDDISH SHMOOZERS Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz 11:30 AM

LUNCH AND LEARN NOVEMBER 21 – Dr. Gil Kahn NOVEMBER 28 – Susan Laubach DECEMBER 5 – Israel Max DECEMBER 12 – Janie Schwalbe DECEMBER 19 – Dr. Gil Kahn JANUARY 2 – Martin Kaufman JANUARY 9 – Israel Max JANUARY 16 – Dr. Gil Kahn JANUARY 23 – Rabbi Elie Weinstock JANUARY 30 – Rabbi Meyer Laniado FEBRUARY 6 – Andrea Schwartz FEBRUARY 20 – Israel Max FEBRUARY 27 – Leead Staller MARCH 6 – Dr. Janice Korff MARCH 13 – Gil Kahn MARCH 20 – Evelyn Rochlin MARCH 27 – Israel Max APRIL 3 – Karen Lerman APRIL 10 – Surie Rudoff 12:30 PM

CRASH COURSE IN HEBREW READING Sara Rosen 6:30 PM

PRAYERBOOK HEBREW Sara Rosen 7:30 PM

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CLASSES continued,

wednesday

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEIT MIDRASH: THE WEEKLY MITZVAH Rabbinic Intern Leead Staller 8:30 PM

CONTEMPORARY HALAKHIC ISSUES Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz 9:30 AM - Wednesdays

thursday MEANINGFUL JEWISH LIVING A comprehensive, year-long course covering major themes in Jewish law, practice, and thought. Explore how a 5,000 year old religion is more relevant today than ever before. Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Rabbi Elie Weinstock and Rabbi Daniel and Rachel Kraus 7:00 PM

FACE TO FACE WITH THE PARSHA 9:30 PM - on the KJ Facebook page

sunday - friday BAGELS & TORAH: DAILY BREAKFAST CLASS Join us for the study of Hovot Ha’Levavot immediately following Sephardic Minyan Shacharit.

SUNDAY 9:00 – 9:15, AND MONDAY-FRIDAY 7:45 - 8:00 AM

shabbat HALAKHAH CLASS Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz 8:30 AM

PRE-MINCHA SHIUR CONSULT PRINTED SHABBAT ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR TIMES.

Soul Cycle - A Monthly Spiritual Workout Rachel Kraus Women of the community are invited to participate in a monthly learning series which provides an opportunity to learn, to share, to engage, and to inspire each Rosh Chodesh.

A variety of topics will be addressed in a different home each month.

Location information provided monthly with RSVP to ROSHCHODESH@CKJ.ORG

Holiday series Prepare for each holiday with this two-part series.

Rabbi Daniel & Rachel Kraus CONNECT: CKJ.ORG/LECTURESANDCOURSES

For more information on our classes, please visit us at CKJ.ORG/ENRICHTHESOUL

CO N N EC T : C K J. O RG/ E N R I C H T H E S O U L

KJ Conversations Join Rabbi Weinstock and special guests to examine timely, relevant issues facing the Jewish community.

Topics will include: Jews & Jews; Jews & Non-Jews; Is There a Mitzvah of Tikkun Olam?; Can We Talk About Anything Civilly Anymore?

MONDAYS AT 7:00 PM December 3, 10, 17 January 14, 21 April 1, 8 SATURDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 15 at 8:00 pm Let Our People Know: The Critical Need for Torah Study Throughout the Jewish Community A conversation with Rabbi Ethan Tucker, President & Rosh Yeshiva of Hadar (HADAR.ORG)

18 THINGS TO KNOW

CLASSES

MaTaN Mother/ Daughter Bat Mitzvah Program

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

THINGS TO KNOW

connect with kj

The W Connection provides widows with easily accessible support services – emotional support, information and training to help them navigate the many challenges they face while dealing with their grief and the rebuilding of their lives.

Its primary goal is to help women build healthy and productive lives while they adapt to the new realities created by their loss.

The MaTaN Mother/Daughter Bat Mitzvah Program was developed in order to provide a meaningful opportunity for mothers and daughters to explore, in creative and interactive ways, the challenges and opportunities of reaching Bat Mitzvah.

Taught by Rachel Kraus, the Bat Mitzvah Program follows the curriculum developed by MaTaN, the world-renowned Jerusalem academy for women’s Torah scholarship founded by Rabbanit Malka Bina, and focuses on Jewish female role models from the matriarchs to Nehama Leibowitz.

Through text study, projects and interactive learning, each parent/child “chavruta” will connect with Jewish sources and become partners on the spiritual journey of what it means to be a Jewish adult today.

To register or inquire, please contact Rabbi Weinstock at RAVELIE@CKJ.ORG or 212-774-5636.

BAT MITZVAH CLASSES TAUGHT BY RACHEL KRAUS 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM January 27 February 3, 10, 24 March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 April 7

W Connection

WINTER/SPRING MEETINGS: December 20; January 17; February 21; March 14; April 11; May 1; June 20 125 East 85th Street FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Gabriella Major: 212-879-4783

ISRAEL ACTION CHECK OUT ARTZEINU, THE WEEKLY ISRAEL NEWS UPDATE AT HTTP://ARTZEINU.ORG The Artzeinu Team: Raanan Gonansky, Bennett R. Katz, Karen Lerman, JJ Hornblass This site, well-organized by topic, provides easy access to numerous news sources and videos.

KJ Food Pantry The KJ Food Pantry provides kosher food weekly to New York’s hungry.

Clients are referred to us through the synagogue and local service agencies.

Each week clients come to KJ to receive food staples tailored to their diets, as well as a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. Ramaz students pack the bags and staff the booth in the lobby of KJ, and Ramaz/KJ members also deliver packages to those who are homebound. For further information or to volunteer, please contact Bernice Kahn at BERNICE.BERMAN@GMAIL.COM.

The KJ Food Pantry wishes to thank D’agostino Supermarket for all their help.

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B N E I M I T Z VA H

JULIUS ZIMBLER

T H E A K AT Z

G RAC E KO L L AN D E R

Mazal Tov to Deborah and Dr. Marc Zimbler upon the upcoming Bar Mitzvah of their son, Julius, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on December 22, where he will read Parashat Vayechi and deliver a Dvar Torah. Julius is a seventh grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Mazal Tov to Stephanie and Bennett Katz upon the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Thea, on December 24 at Robinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arch at the Kotel in Jerusalem at which time she will lead a Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tefilah service and read from Parashat Shemot. Thea is a sixth grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Mazal Tov to Lani and Jason Kollander upon the upcoming Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Grace. Mazal Tov as well to Laurie and Eli Bryk, proud KJ grandparents. Grace is a sixth grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

chupah rental This beautiful Chupah, designed and embroidered by members of the KJ Sisterhood, can enhance your family wedding.

For rental information please contact Riva Alper, 212-774-5670/ RIVA@CKJ.ORG

A LO N P E R E Z

M I C O L E F R I E D M AN

Mazal Tov to Caroline and David Perez upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Alon, on February 21, at which time he will read Parashat Ki Tisa in Eilat. Alon is a seventh grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Mazal Tov to Dr. Danielle and Jason Friedman upon the upcoming Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Micole, on Purim, March 20, at which time she will read Megillat Esther. Micole is a sixth grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

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W I T H I N O U R FA M I LY

BIRTHS MA Z AL TOV TO :

Sarah and Isaac Jonas upon the birth of their second child and daughter, Margot Grace (Mazal Emunah).

Sarah and Ari Assouline upon the birth of their first child and son, Nathaniel Haim (Netanel Chaim).

Debbie and Alan Kestenbaum upon the birth of a grandson, born to their children Arielle and David Tradburks.

Stephanie and Dr. Craig Basman upon the birth of their second child and first son, Benjamin Michael (Yitzchak Moshe haLevi).

Katie and Eric Kluger upon the birth of their second child and son. Mazal Tov to proud KJ grandparents Hon. Judy and Barry Kluger.

Virginie and Mark Cohen upon the birth of their second child and daughter, Ariella.

Marylène and Alan Friedman upon the birth in Jerusalem of a grandson, Lavi Simcha, born to their children Shalvie and Rabbi Moshe Friedman.

Jordana and Andrew Fruchter upon the birth of their second child and first daughter, Amalia Liv (Noa). Mazal Tov to proud KJ grandparents Iris and Ilan Cohen.

Dina and David Gad upon of the birth of twins, their third and fourth children, Sophia (Sarah) and Jared (Avrohom Yitzchak).

Caroline Born and Zach Gleser upon the birth of their second child and first son.

Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ grandparents, Debbie and Dr. Richard Born.

Alexandra Fairweather and Eric Goodman upon the birth of their first child, Rosalina Swan (Leah).

Lillian Hirsch upon the birth of three great-grandchildren, Mushka Ives, Len David Hirsch, and Binyomin Ives.

Michele and Ronald Jaspan upon becoming first-time grandparents with the birth of a granddaughter, Ariella Tamar, born to their children, Sarah and Josh Jaspan of Cleveland.

Margo and Jonathan Kobrin upon the birth of their first child and daughter, Colette Vera (Yael Avigayil). Mazal Tov as well to proud KJ grandparents Gloria and Richard Kobrin.

Sonya and Dr. Howard Levy upon the birth of their second child and daughter, Hannah Pearl (Tsivia Pearl).

Erica and Adam Rosen upon the birth of their third child and son. Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ grandparents, Sharon and Jay Podolsky.

Lauren and Michael Rosman upon the birth of their first child and daughter, Mila Flora (Malka Tziporah). Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ grandparents, Phyllis and Jonathan Wagner.

Liora and Ben Schulman upon the birth of their second child and first daughter, Sophie Helen (Sophie Rivka).

Ronit and Lawrence Schwab upon the birth of their granddaughter Romy Leigh, born to their children, Kelly (Ramaz ’03) and Jason Kroll.

Elisa and Mo Septimus upon the birth of their second child and first daughter, Jewel Perry (Gila Chava).

Paula and Leonard Solinsky upon the

birth of a grandson, the first child born to their children Shari and Joshua Ziegelman.

Paula and Leonard Solinsky upon the birth of a grandson, born to their children Rebecca and Neil Solinsky.

Ilisa and Anthony Sneag upon the birth of their second child and first son, Aaron Max (Aaron Gershon).

Drs. Yaffa and Shaun Steigman upon the birth of their first child and son, Benjamin Dov (Binyamin Dov).

Angela and Adam Struck upon the birth of their first child and daughter, Scarlett Anne.

Dr. Marianna and Sam Weiner upon the birth of their first child and daughter.

Lanna and David Weisfeld upon the birth of their first child and son, Benjamin Yosef. Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ grandparents, Paula and Leonard Solinsky.

Marlilyn and Edan Yadofsky upon the birth of their daughter, Leah Ruth.

May these children grow up in the finest tradition of Torah, chupah, and maasim tovim.

BNEI MITZVAH M A Z A L TOV TO :

Julie and Andrew Ackerman upon the Bat Mitzvah in Jerusalem of their daughter, Milli, who is a seventh grade student in the Ramaz Middle School.

Surie & Bob Sugarman and Fran & Benjy (z”l) Brown upon the Bar Mitzvah of their grandson, Jake Brown, son of Alison & Daniel Brown.

21 continued, WITHIN OUR FAMILY

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

W I T H I N O U R FA M I LY Sophia and David Gomberg upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Jack, on November 22, at the Kotel in Jerusalem.

Jack will read Parashat Vayishlach and deliver a Dvar Torah following the services. Mazal Tov as well to proud KJ grandmother Gail Propp.

Jean and Armand Lindenbaum upon the Labor Day Bar Mitzvah of their grandson, Samuel Lindenbaum.

Carol and Ralph Perlberger upon the Bar Mitzvah of their oldest grandson, Oliver.

ENGAGEMENTS MA Z AL TOV TO :

Sara and Mark Bloom upon the engagement of Racheli Bloom to Tzvika Poleyeff, son of Linda and Arthur Poleyeff, of Englewood.

Drs. Vicki Deutsch and Gerry Platt upon the engagement of their son, Matthew.

marriage of their grandson, Michael Sherman, to Sarah Chubak.

Tammy and Marc Rosen upon the engagement of their son, Michael Lehmann, to Rachel Frieling, daughter of Sharon and Dr. Jeffery Frieling of Lawrence.

Gail Suchman and Dr. Jerry Zimmerman upon the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Molly, to Danny Arenson, son of Iris and Dr. Richard Arenson of New Rochelle.

Tammy and Marc Rosen upon the engagement of their son, Benjy Lehmann, to Dina Shechter, daughter of Rivkie and Hymie Schechter of Lawrence.

May the newlywed couples be blessed to build homes faithful to the traditions of the Jewish people.

Andrea and David Weingard upon the engagement of their son, Steven, to Danielle Stein.

May their weddings take place in happiness and blessing.

MARRIAGES MA Z A L TOV TO :

Meredith and Dr. Neal Flomenbaum upon the engagement of their son, Adam (Ramaz ’06) to Deborah Nierenberg, the daughter of the late Grace (z”l) and Eric Nierenberg of Bayside, Queens.

Eve and Sammy Attias upon the marriage of their daughter, Gabriela, to Michael Glustein, the son of Sharon and Yossi Glustein of Israel.

Martine and Leo Fox upon the engagement of their son, Robert, to Sabrina Herman, daughter of Roma and Robert Grant of Greenwich, Connecticut.

Wendy and Sholem Greenbaum upon the marriage of their daughter, Daniella Judith, to Robert Davis, the son of Ellen and Gary Davis of Connecticut.

Helene and Michael Hartig upon the engagement of their son, Daniel, to Gabrielle (Gabby) Weinstein of Manhattan.

Nancy Greenwald Mehl upon the marriage of her daughter, Jennifer Frankel, to Neil Mazer, the son of Marcie and Dr. Theodore Mazer of San Diego. Jennifer is the step-daughter of Dr. Sydney Mehl.

Jackie Leifert upon her engagement to Dr. Saul Bodenheim of Teaneck.

Rabbi Haskel and Audrey Lookstein upon the engagement of their granddaughter, Amanda Cinnamon (daughter of Mindy and Dr. Jay Cinnamon of Atlanta), to Aaron Kohl, the son of KJ members Caren and Sam Kohl.

Judy and Donald Olenick upon the marriage of their daughter, Liat, to Nick Legowski, the son of Peter and Debbie Legowski of Columbia, Maryland.

Isaac and Judy Sherman upon the

MILESTONES C O N G RAT U L AT I O N S TO :

Janet and Mark Mittler upon celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

COMMUNAL HONORS C O N G RAT U L AT I O N S TO :

Jay Lefkowitz upon being a guest of honor at the UJA/Federation New York Lawyers Division Annual Event.

PROFESSIONAL/PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS C O N G RAT U L AT I O N S TO :

Goldie and I. David Gordon upon their son, Daniel, being selected to join the third cohort of the Ruskay Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership, based upon his professional accomplishments and a belief that he has much to contribute to the Institute and to the broader Jewish community.

Ronit and Lawrence Schwab upon the completion of their son Dr. Ryan (Ramaz ’05) Schwab’s residency in Internal Medicine at Long Island Jewish Hospital and the commencement of a two-year Fellowship in Critical Care at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

22 WITHIN OUR FAMILY - IN MEMORIAM

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W I T H I N O U R FA M I LY - I N M E M O R I A M

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS C O N G RAT U L AT I O N S TO :

Ronit and Lawrence Schwab upon the graduation of their son, Dr. Daniel Schwab (Ramaz’10), from New York University College of Dentistry, and the commencement of a three-year Residency in Orthodontics at NYU.

IN MEMORIAM

CONDOLENCES O U R CO N D O L E N C E S TO :

Ellen Ward upon the passing of her mother, Mildred Horowitz.

health and strength in the years ahead.

May they be comforted among all those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.

When Herb Wolff moved here with his wife, Leonore, nine years ago, he came with an impressive resume of communal leadership in Flatbush. He was a leader in the Young Israel of Flatbush and in the Yeshivah of Flatbush of which both of his daughters, Mindy Miller and Amy Heller, are alumnae.

Arthur Brody

We mourn KJ’s last surviving veteran of WWII. Well into his 90’s, Arthur, who was living in a senior residence in North Riverdale, remained a loyal and generous member of our Congregation right to the end. In fact, he had already paid his dues and his contribution to the Annual Synagogue Appeal for 2018 in June although he had not stepped foot in our synagogue for over ten years.

Dr. Olivier Harari upon the passing of his father, David Harari.

He and his late wife, Marcia, loved KJ and were in turn beloved by our congregational family. They were active participants in every facet of KJ life: shul, Sisterhood, senior programs - you name it; they were fully there.

Elie Hirschfeld upon the passing of his sister, Rachel Hirschfeld.

We shall miss Marcia and Arthur dearly and remember them with fondness and gratitude.

Dr. Eli Bryk upon the passing of his father, Dr. David Bryk.

Dr. Karin Charnoff Katz upon the passing of her father, Gerald Charnoff.

Irene Kofman upon the passing of her mother, Anna Fischhof.

Stephen Kule upon the passing of his father, David Kule.

Bella Lesch upon the passing of her sister, Shirley Cohen.

Hillary Malkinson upon the passing of her mother, Pauline Malkinson.

Nathan Mann upon the passing of his wife, Pauline (Pat) Mann.

Dr. Cindy Sires Trop upon the passing of her brother, Bruce David Sires.

Bernard Scharfstein

Bernie was a beloved member of KJ and a regular worshipper on Shabbat and Yom Tov until physical limitations prevented him from attending. He greatly appreciated our congregation and its synagogue.

A good friend of the late Rabbi Joseph H. Lookstein, Bernie was the leader of Ktav Publishing House for decades and he served the Jewish and general world brilliantly in publishing thousands of volumes of Judaic importance. He not only published them; he carefully read most of them, as one could tell from conversations with him.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his dear wife, Barbara, and their children, David, Jonathan, and Daniel. May God grant Barbara

Herbert Wolff

He was very proud of all of his grandchildren who are either students in Ramaz or alumni of the Ramaz Upper School. Both families follow in the tradition of the patriarch (and matriarch) in their leadership roles in KJ, Ramaz and the Scarsdale/ Westchester Day School community.

This man who was an impressive workaholic as a beloved accountant, also knew how to establish priorities in his life, including the cultivation of many lasting friendships. He was blessed to see his descendants adopt those priorities in their lives. In a word, he envisioned his own immortality.

Leila Zuckerman

Leila died at the end of Sukkot, late in the afternoon of Erev Shemini Atzeret.

During the course of an extraordinarily effective life, she protected and covered her loved ones and her friends like the sechach of the sukkah.

She left a difficult marriage and singlehandedly raised her two children, putting them through college and medical school.

To do so, she worked several jobs including serving as a principal in a public school whose students were always top performers in NYC. She was also the principal of the Temple Emanuel Sunday School where she gave hundreds of children the best taste she possibly could of Judaism and Jewish life.

23 HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

continued, IN

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

H O L I D AY H I G H L I G H T S

MEMORIAM

She came to KJ about 37 years ago as the new wife of the late Dr. Frederick Zuckerman. For thirty-five years they had a glorious marriage, manifested by extraordinary devotion to each other and the most active hospitality toward so many in our community. She literally opened her home to everybody, with love, caring and exceptional warmth. It was the best representation of a sukkah.

May God now protect her soul in eternity. <

Chanukah Begins Sunday Evening, December 2

C

HANUKAH CELEBRATES THE MIRACLES OF THE SPIRITUAL AND MILITARY VICTORIES OF THE MACCABEES AGAINST THE HELLENIST TYRANTS THAT

IMPOSED ANTI-RELIGIOUS RULE AND DESECRATED THE HOLY TEMPLE IN 165 BCE. THE 25TH OF KISLEV WAS THE DAY THE MACCABEES ENTERED THE TEMPLE FOLLOWING THE BATTLE AND WANTED TO RESTART THE HOLY SERVICE THAT

Spread the Light

BY MAKING A CHANUKAH DONATION TO THE KJ BENEVOLENT FUND

CKJ.ORG/PAY THE NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE GREAT.

HELP US

HELP OTHERS IN NEED.

DONATE GENEROUSLY.

HAD CEASED UNDER THE FOREIGN RULE. THE MACCABEES FOUND ONLY ONE DAY’S SUPPLY OF OIL THAT THEY COULD USE TO REDEDICATE THE MENORAH. YET THAT TINY FLASK LASTED UNTIL THEY WERE ABLE TO CREATE NEW, PURE OIL – A DELAY OF EIGHT DAYS. The victory established Jewish religious and political sovereignty in Israel during the second Temple times. This miracle of Jewish independence had not been seen since the destruction of the First Temple and the assassination of the then governor, Gedalyah.

Primarily, we celebrate Chanukah with spiritual expressions: (1) lighting candles in commemoration of the miracle of the rededication of the Temple, (2) singing Hallel in praise of God’s deliverance from our enemies, and (3) adding Al Ha-Nisim in our prayers of thanksgiving in recognition of both aspects of the miracle of Chanukah. We also have physical pleasures and celebrations by having (4) special foods, (5) gift giving, and even (6) parties.

The Candles

The prevailing custom is for each member of the family to light his or her own menorah which will have as many candles as that night of the holiday plus the shamash. Since the Chanukah

candles are to commemorate the Menorah of the Temple, we apply the same rules to both: the candles and their flames become holy and as such cannot be used for any other purpose.

With the exception of the Shamash, we cannot read by their lights or use them to light another candle.

Time for Lighting

Candles must be lit after nightfall (about 40 minutes after sunset) and burn for at least a half-hour. On Friday afternoon, Chanukah candles should be lit before Shabbat candles, and should be of a type that will last over an hour (this leads to many adopting the custom of using olive oil-based lamps).

On Saturday night, the candles are lit after Havdalah.

Candle Arrangement

The candles are set from the right side of the Menorah as the candle lighter faces it. The Menorah should be placed in an area where it will not need to be moved after being lit. Safety is also a

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H O L I D AY H I G H L I G H T S major concern, so please do not leave the home with the candles unattended.

Lighting the Candles

The lights are lit from left to right – starting with the newest candle first.

We begin by lighting the shamash, then we say the blessings: (1) ner shel Chanukah, (2) she-asa nisim, and on the first night we add (3) shehecheyanu.

Once the blessings are said, we light the first candle and begin singing the songs Hanerot Hallalu – which explains the reasons for the ceremony – and Maoz Tzur which describes all the salvations wrought by God for the Jewish People.

Publicizing the Miracle

We light the Menorah so we can publicize the miracle to as many people as possible.

We start with our own family but we often place the Menorah in the window to proclaim our belief to others.

Moreover, we publicize the miracle by singing the complete Hallel in the morning service and by adding Al Ha-Nisim in our daily Shemona Esrei and in Birkat ha-Mazon.

Material Pleasures

In addition to the spiritual nature of the holiday, we have added, in later times, the physical pleasures of special foods (latkes, jelly donuts), gift-giving (never a bad idea, especially Jewish books), and parties (that serve as a means for fellowship and for publicizing the miracle).

Chanukah is a time when we should renew our commitment and devotion to God. The brave Maccabees who risked their lives for religious freedom should serve as a model for us to celebrate those freedoms and our joy in service to God. <

For Shaatnez checking

(the biblical prohibition against mixed fabrics which are typically found in the collars of expensive men’s suits): KENT’S FASHION HOUSE 1596 Third Avenue (between 89th & 90th Streets) 212-876-0088, and they will be inspected by a Shaatnez checker in Brooklyn.

MORRIS ORGANIC DRY CLEANERS AND CUSTOM TAILORS 436 East 86th Street (between 1st and York Avenues) 212-828-5681, (specializing in Shaatnez testing and fixing, taliot, tzitzit)

25 HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

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H O L I D AY H I G H L I G H T S

PURIM: THE JEWISH WAY TO REJOICE MAR C H 2 0-21, 2019

WHAT IS PURIM?

PURIM, THE HOLIDAY ON THE 14TH OF ADAR, IS ONE OF THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF THE JEWISH CALENDAR. THE TALMUD (TAANIT 29B) STATES “WHEN ADAR BEGINS WE INCREASE IN JOY” BECAUSE ADAR AND PURIM ARE HALLMARKS OF GOD’S SALVATION OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. EVEN THOUGH PURIM IS NOT A TORAH HOLIDAY, THERE IS A BIBLICAL BOOK (THE SCROLL OF ESTHER) WHICH DETAILS THE ACTION OF THE HOLIDAY AND THE HISTORY OF THE EVENTS. BEING OF BIBLICAL LEVEL GIVES THE HOLIDAY A GREAT DEAL OF IMPORTANCE AND AUTHORITY.

MESSAGE OF THE HOLIDAY Purim is a festive day because God rescued us from our enemies. Yet, as seen in the ancient work Megillat Taanit, there were hundreds of days of the year that were considered minor festivals of thanksgiving.

Only two, Purim and Chanukah, were applied to all Jewish communities at all times because their inherent messages were considered all encompassing.

Tradition teaches us that Purim is about how God rescues the Jews in the Diaspora- where God needs to operate in a hidden manner with hidden miracles. A popular lesson about the name Megillat Esther is that the word Esther means “hidden” (like hester panim) and Megillah means “revealed.” Hence Megillat Esther is the “revelation of what’s hidden.”

God is hidden in the Megillah; the story is a set of confounding coincidences that appear to be catastrophes until the critical turnabout when the Jews emerge mighty and victorious. God’s name is not mentioned in the Megillah, but God’s invisible touch is active throughout.

The name of the holiday, Purim, comes from the Persian word for randomness: pur. Our enemies used a lottery (purim)

to determine the date for the Jewish extermination. In the earthly realm, our enemies see randomness and chaos, but we see God’s intervention especially in those events that go beyond human power.

The holiday of Purim is, as a result, a holiday where we in the Diaspora learn how God interacts and communicates within the hidden.

THE HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAY THE STORY OF ESTHER

The story of Esther takes place while the Jews lived in the Persian empire, during the exile of 70 years (circa 366-355 BCE). The main characters are: Mordechai (rabbi, hero), Esther (his cousin, becomes queen of Persia), Achashverosh (king of Persia, easily swayed to either side), and Haman ym”sh (from Amalek; hates Jews, tries to commit genocide).

ACTION OF THE MEGILLAH

The life for the Jews in exile is precarious.

Achashverosh holds a party where he kills his wife in response to her insolence. The king then searches for a new queen and chooses the youthful Jewess Esther who was counseled by her uncle Mordechai. Later on, Haman

is insulted that Mordechai does not pay him proper respect and Haman convinces Achashverosh to allow him to kill all the Jews. Haman chooses the date of warfare by rolling dice (which are called pur in Aramaic, see above). He rolls the date of the 13th of the month of Adar. Mordechai hears of the plot and impresses on Esther to plead with the King to spare her people. At first she refuses, for fear of her life, but then risks everything to appeal to the king. The appeal is successful, Haman is thwarted, and the favor of the king is such that he allows Esther’s people, the Jews, to fight back on the 13th of Adar. We were able to fight back so successfully that we created a holiday on the day afterwards as a remembrance of God’s miraculous salvation that worked behind the scenes.

HOW WE COMMEMORATE AND CELEBRATE SHABBAT ZACHOR

The Shabbat preceding Purim (this year, March 16, 2019) is called Shabbat Zachor.

We choose this Shabbat to observe the commandment to remember the evil of the nation of Amalek who are central to Purim as well. In Exodus 17:8-16, we read

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KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

H O L I D AY H I G H L I G H T S about their terror war against the Jewish people when they attacked us without mercy. The command in Deut. 25:17-19 states: “Remember what Amalek did to you, on your way as you departed from Egypt... you shall obliterate the memory of Amalek, you shall not forget.” According to most authorities, it is a Torah level commandment to hear this portion read in synagogue.

TAANIT ESTHER (13TH OF ADAR)

The day preceding Purim is a thematically connected fast day. The 13th of Adar is mentioned in the Megillah as the day chosen by Haman to destroy the Jewish people. We fast in memory of the war that took place on that day and, like the fast of the first born, we use the fast to recognize our salvation. (cf. Esther 9:31).

Taanit Esther is unlike the other fasts of the Jewish calendar, insofar that it is a day of thanksgiving and not sadness.

CUSTOMS OF THE FAST DAY

The “half-shekel” is donated at the afternoon service (in commemoration of the half-shekel census, cf. Exodus 25:11-16, we use the half currency of the realm, e.g. three half-dollars.) The money is used for communal funds and synagogue repair.

We go straight from the fast to the Megillah reading - only eating after we have fulfilled that mitzvah.

PURIM (14th of Adar)

Work is not forbidden on Purim, but we also have no tachanun, eulogies or fasting; a mourner displays no outward signs, like on Shabbat. There are a number of commandments to fulfill on Purim (that apply equally to men and women):

NIGHT

Megillah: The sages tell us we must hear every word of the Megillah reading.

Please help others fulfill this mitzvah by following the instructions of the community leaders as to when to cease noisemaking.

DAY

Megillah: The obligation is both at night and during the day. We cannot hear two at night or two during the day to count for the whole holiday.

Mishloach Manot: Sending gifts of food to friends: Two foods to one person is the minimum. The foods must be ready-to-eat.

Matanot l’evyonim: Gifts of money to the poor. Two coins to each of two poor people. Money can be collected ahead of time with the intention that it will be dispensed on Purim day. We have a special collection in synagogue for this purpose.

Seudah: Festive meal with rejoicing.

Invite family and friends to your home or join our catered community celebration.

Intoxication: We are enjoined to drink intoxicating spirits on Purim. Many authorities limit the drinking to the seudah, and even then, the command is just to drink a bit more than we are used to. In no fashion should we become so intoxicated that we would harm ourselves or others.

Special Prayers: We add Al Ha-Nisim to our shemona-esrei and to birkat hamazon.

Yet, we do not say Hallel on Purim. Three reasons are given for the lack of Hallel.

The first is that the Megillah acts as Hallel; the second is that the miracle of the day occurred secretly and outside the land of Israel; the third is that (in the words of the Talmud): “we are still servants to Achashverosh.”

PURIM CUSTOMS

During the readings of the Megillah, we fulfill the commandment to “blot out” the

name of Amalek by making loud noises whenever Haman’s name is read aloud.

Historians tell us that the custom started when people would write Haman’s name on the soles of their shoes and then stamp their feet during the Megillah reading. Nowadays, we use groggers: specially made noisemakers. Another custom is to recite a few specific verses aloud as a congregation before the reader recites them. We read aloud four verses: 2:5, 8:15, 8:16, 10:3 and the list of the ten sons of Haman, 9:7-9.

Another widespread custom is to wear costumes, while some authorities hold that “yom-tov” clothing should be worn (because it is called a Yom Tov in Esther 9:19).

Costumes are to depict the “hiddenness” of the miracle of Purim, and also to heighten the “turnabouts” of the day.

SHUSHAN PURIM (15TH OF ADAR)

Any city with walls since the time of Joshua celebrates Purim one day later on Adar 15. The Megillah relates how the war against our enemies lasted one day later in the city of Shushan.

Nowadays, Shushan Purim only applies to Jerusalem (although a few other cities in Israel have taken on both days as a longstanding custom, e.g.

Acco, Yaffo, Tiberias). May you have a healthy, happy, freilichen Purim! <

CREATE AN ENDURING LEGACY WHILE RECEIVING AN ATTRACTIVE REVENUE STREAM FOR LIFE Please consider participating in the Congregation’s Endowment and Planned Giving Program, through which you can create an enduring legacy of active participation in KJ through a Charitable Gift Annuity that pays handsomely.

Contact Leonard Silverman at 212-774-5680 or LSS@CKJ.ORG for information.

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KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

H O L I D AY H I G H L I G H T S

PURIM SCHEDULE FAST OF ESTHER WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 Fast begins at 5:48 AM and ends at 7:40 PM Shacharit at 6:50 AM & Mincha at 6:40 PM Please remember to bring Tzedaka for machazit ha-shekel and other holiday obligations.

MINCHA, MAARIV & MAIN MEGILLAH READING WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 20 Mincha is at 6:40 p.m in the Main Synagogue and the Middle School’s Falk Auditorium. Maariv, followed by the reading of Megillat Esther, will begin in both locations at 7:30 PM Children are welcome to sit with their parents for the duration of the Reading in the Main Synagogue. There will be a Purim Pizza and Ice Cream Party in the Gottesman Center’s Lindenbaum Gymnasium featuring the beloved Morah Chaya after Megillah reading. Thanks to an anonymous benefactor, there is no charge.

ADULTS ONLY READING 7:30 PM Quiet reading of Megillat Esther in the Falk Auditorium of the Gottesman Center, 114 East 85th Street.

SEPHARDIC MINYAN MINCHA AT 6:45 PM In the Rohr Chapel followed by Maariv and Megillah reading with the nusach of Aram Soba - Eidot haMizrach, at 7:15 PM in the Rohr Chapel (lively reading, with children) and in the Gottesman Center’s L1 Beit Midrash (quiet reading). Both are followed by the community Pizza and Ice Cream Party in the Lindenbaum Gymnasium.

WOMEN’S READING 7:30 PM Special reading for women only in the Riklis Social Hall.

PARENTS AND TODDLERS READING 7:30 PM Megillah reading for parents and “can’t sit still” toddlers and infants in the Nakash Gymnasium followed by the community Pizza and Ice Cream Party in the Lindenbaum Gymnasium.

BEGINNERS MEGILLAH READING 8:30 PM Beginners Megillah Reading and Purim Party in the Heyman Auditorium at 125 East 85th Street with Rabbi Daniel & Rachel Kraus and Shilo Kramer.

MORNING SERVICES AND MEGILLAH THURSDAY, MARCH 21 Morning Services at 7:00 AM and again at 9:30 AM in the Main Synagogue, each followed by Megillah reading and breakfast. The Sephardic morning minyan will take place in the Rohr Chapel at 9:00 AM, where the Megillah will also be read. Matanot l’Evyonim will be collected at all services.

PURIM YOUTH CARNIVAL 11:00 AM UNTIL 2:00 PM In the Gottesman Center, 114 East 85th Street. Contact KJ Youth Director Aryana Ritholtz at ARYANA@CKJ.ORG to purchase tickets in advance.

SCHEDULING YOUR FAMILY’S BAR OR BAT MITZVAH If you are making a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at KJ between September 2019 and June 2020, please contact Riva Alper in the synagogue office at 212-774-5670 to reserve specific rooms for your services, celebratory meals/ kiddushim, and other functions.

If your child attends Ramaz and you are a member of KJ planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Riva Alper must be notified directly of your plans.

Reserving a date with Ramaz does not imply that it is reserved at KJ.

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KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun 125 East 85th Street, New York, NY 10028 212-774-5600

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CKJ.ORG

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

Non-Profit U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEW YORK, N.Y. PERMIT NO. 2200

CONGREGATION KEHILATH JESHURUN 125 EAST 85TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10028-0928

SYNAGOGUE OFFICIALS

Haskel Lookstein.......... Rabbi Emeritus Chaim Steinmetz.............. Senior Rabbi Elimelech Weinstock................... Rabbi Meyer Laniado............. Assistant Rabbi Rabbi Daniel Kraus & Rachel Kraus..... ........ Directors of Community Education Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder...................... ............................ Scholar-in-Residence Mayer Davis............................... Cantor Dr. Benjamin Zalta.................... Cantor Leonard Silverman.... Executive Director

OFFICERS OF THE CONGREGATION

David Lobel........................... President Elias Buchwald.... Senior Vice President Jonathan Wagner.......... Vice President Surie Sugarman...... 2nd Vice President Dr. Nicole Agus........ 3rd Vice President Sidney Ingber........... 4th Vice President Dr. Larry Baruch................... Secretary Robert Schwartz................... Treasurer David Sultan........... Assistant Treasurer Morris Massel........ Executive Secretary Evan Farber............ Financial Secretary JJ Hornblass........ Recording Secretary Eric Gribetz....Administrative Secretary

LIVING PAST PRESIDENTS Fred Distenfeld Eric Feldstein Joel Katz

Chaim Edelstein Stanley Gurewitsch

AFFILIATE PRESIDENTS

Carla Tanz........... President, Sisterhood Dr. Mark Meirowitz. President, Men’s Club Brittany Cogan.......... President, Kesher Elisa Septimus.......... President, Kesher Ariel Stern................ President, Kesher

OFFICE STAFF

Riva Alper....................... Administrator Dina Farhi.............. Executive Assistant Menucha Parry.................... Director of

Member Affairs Aryana Bibi Ritholtz....... Youth Director Freddie Rodriguez....... Superintendent Sy Yanofsky....................... Comptroller Esther Zarnel Feierman....... Director of Communications and Programming

DATES TO REMEMBER Thursday, November 22 Thanksgiving Service at 8:30 AM Sunday-Friday, December 3-7 Chanukah Service at 7:10 AM Monday, December 10 Chanukah Service at 7:10 AM Tuesday, December 18 Fast of the 10th of Tevet Fast Begins at 6:03 AM Morning Service at 6:50 AM

Are you receiving your KJ Bulletin late in the mail? Are you receiving double copies of the Bulletin?

WE NEED TO KNOW! Please e-mail RIVA@CKJ.ORG or call 212.774.5670.

In preparing the Bulletin, we welcome all KJ members’ announcements of communal, academic and professional acheivements. Please e-mail RIVA@CKJ.ORG or mail it to the synagogue, marked “ATTN: KJ Bulletin”

SHABBAT SCHEDULE

november 23-24 december 30-1 7-8 14-15 21-22 28-29 january 4-5 11-12 18-19 25-26 february 1-2 8-9 15-16 22-23 march 1-2 8-9 15-16 22-23 29-30 april 5-6 12-13

Lighting of Candles

Friday Evening Services

Saturday Afternoon Services

Sabbath Ends

Vayishlach

4:15 PM

4:30 PM

4:05 PM

5:12 PM

Vayeshev Miketz Vayigash Vayechi Shemot

4:12 PM 4:11 PM 4:11 PM 4:14 PM 4:18 PM

4:25 PM 4:25 PM 4:25 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM

4:05 PM 4:05 PM 4:05 PM 4:10 PM 4:15 PM

5:09 PM 5:08 PM 5:10 PM 5:12 PM 5:17 PM

Vaera Bo Beshalach Yitro

4:24 PM 4:31 PM 4:39 PM 4:47 PM

4:40 PM 4:45 PM 4:55 PM 5:00 PM

4:20 PM 4:25 PM 4:35 PM 4:40 PM

5:22 PM 5:29 PM 5:37 PM 5:43 PM

Mishpatim Terumuh Tetzaveh Ki Tisa

4:56 PM 5:04 PM 5:13 PM 5:21 PM

5:10 PM 5:20 PM 5:25 PM 5:35 PM

4:50 PM 4:55 PM 5:05 PM 5:15 PM

5:52 PM 6:00 PM 6:08 PM 6:16 PM

Vayakhel/Shekalim Pekudei Vayikra/Zachor Tzav Shemini/Parah

5:29 PM 5:37 PM 6:45 PM 6:52 PM 6:59 PM

5:45 PM 5:50 PM 6:45 PM 6:45 PM 6:45 PM

5:20 PM 5:30 PM 6:35 PM 6:40 PM 6:50 PM

6:24 PM 6:32 PM 7:39 PM 7:47 PM 7:54 PM

Tazria/haChodesh Metzora/haGadol

7:07 PM 7:14 PM

6:45 PM 6:05 PM

7:00 PM 6:45 PM

8:02 PM 8:10 PM

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES 7:30 AM

8:30 AM

7:15 AM

7:00 AM

9:00 AM

Weekday mornings

Sunday mornings

Mondays & Thursdays

Rosh Chodesh Weekdays

Sabbath mornings

EVENING SERVICES Nov 18-22: Nov 25-29: Dec 2-6: Dec 9-13:

4:30 PM 4:25 PM 4:25 PM 4:25 PM

Dec 16-20: 4:25 PM Dec 23-27: 4:30 PM Dec 30-Jan 3: 4:35 PM Jan 13-17: 4:50 PM

Afternoon Service at 4:05 PM Fast Ends at 5:08 PM Tuesday, December 25 Morning Service at 8:30 AM Tuesday, January 1 Morning Service at 8:30 AM Monday, January 7 Rosh Chodesh Shevat, Morning Service at 7:00 AM Monday, January 21 Tu B’Shevat - Services at 8:30 AM

Jan 20-24: Jan 27-31: Feb 3-7: Feb 10-14:

4:55 PM 5:05 PM 5:15 PM 5:20 PM

Feb 17-21: 5:30 PM Feb 24-28: 5:40 PM Mar 3-7: 5:45 PM Mar 10-Jun 13: 6:45 PM

Tuesday-Wednesday, February 5-6 Rosh Chodesh Adar I, Morning Service at 7:00 AM Monday, February 18 Morning Service at 8:30 AM Thursday-Friday, March 7-8 Rosh Chodesh Adar II, Morning Service at 7:00 AM For Purim Schedule see page 27